Blood Glucose Meter/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby Tim sits at his kitchen table, eating. Moby enters and hands him an envelope. MOBY: Beep. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, My doctor says I may have diabetes. Does this mean I'm going to have to take shots all the time? From, Bug. Maybe, or maybe not. It's hard to say, but even if you don't, you may have to keep tabs on how your blood sugar is doing. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, everybody has a sugar, called glucose, in their blood. An animation shows red blood cells and glucose particles in a human bloodstream. TIM: We get this glucose from the food we eat, and our bodies use it as fuel. Side by side images show different foods and the silhouette of a body. TIM: A hormone called insulin, produced in your pancreas, controls how much glucose your cells can absorb. Depending on the type of diabetes, either not enough insulin is produced, or the body's cells can't use the insulin that is produced. Either way, diabetes causes trouble in regulating blood sugar levels. An animation shows the pancreas absorbing glucose. A second image appears and shows insulin bouncing off of cells instead of being absorbed. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, besides making you feel tired and sick, high blood sugar can lead to other health problems. Over many years, consistently high blood sugar can lead to problems with your eyes, nerves, kidneys, and heart. An animation of falling calendar pages illustrates the passing of time. Images show the problems Tim lists. TIM: That's why using a blood glucose meter is so important. Tim holds up a blood glucose meter. TIM: It helps you keep your blood sugar within a healthy range. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, they don't all look like this one, but they usually work pretty much the same way. You provide a drop of blood, and the meter tells you what your glucose level is. Moby looks distressed. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, don't get freaked out. It's just a little pinch, and using the meter's really easy. Just be sure to follow the instructions that come with the meter that you get. For this one, the first thing you have to do is load a test strip into the meter. That's a little strip of paper that reacts with your blood. An animation illustrates the operation of a blood glucose meter as Tim explains. TIM: Next, wash your hands and dry them completely. You'll need a lancet to break your skin. An animation shows someone washing his hands. Tim holds up a lancet. TIM: Careful, these things are sharp. Choose a spot on the side of one of your fingers. It won't hurt as much as the top, and it's much less likely to bruise. And don't always take your samples from the same finger. An animation illustrates the use of a lancet as Tim explains. Moby attempts to use a lancet, but it won't pierce the metal of his finger. TIM: If you don't get a drop of blood, push on the skin below where you lanced. If you still don't get a drop, don't worry. Just try again on another finger. An animation shows a hand pushing on the skin. TIM: You may want to let your arm dangle down to collect more blood in your hand. An animation shows a person letting his arm hang loosely at his side. Arrows illustrate the downward direction of the blood flow. TIM: Anyway, make sure your meter's ready to read a sample, and touch the drop of blood to the place marked on the test strip. After a few seconds, it will show you what your blood glucose level is. An animation shows a blood glucose meter with the word "Ready" flashing on its digital screen. A finger touches the test strip with a drop of blood. TIM: You may have to wait a bit. The meter continues processing its reading. Moby does a drum roll. The meter beeps. A reading of one hundred fifty appears on its screen. MOBY: Beep. TIM: That's not that high a reading. I just ate a big lunch. Your doctor will probably tell you to record your reading, along with the date, time, and any other useful information. An animation shows notes being written in a notebook. TIM: Some meters can record hundreds of different readings. You should carefully go over how your meter works with your doctor and parents. An animation shows the meter saving information. MOBY: Beep. TIM: The doctor will tell you when to take a reading. It could be as often as a few times a day, or just a couple times a week. Depending on what your situation is, you may have to take insulin shots, or you may have to change your diet. Side by side images show insulin next to a syringe, and a variety of different foods. TIM: But either way, there's no reason to get all bummed out. People with diabetes lead totally normal lives. A frowning Moby again tries to use a lancer on his finger. Moby gives up and tosses the lancer over his shoulder. It lands atop a pile of other lancers. He grabs another lancer and tries again. TIM: That's not going to work, you know. Moby tosses that lancer on the pile with the others and grabs yet another one. TIM: It's sort of weird how you never learn. Category:BrainPOP Transcripts